Rexy

ReMixer name: bsolmaz13 Name of game: Mega Man 9 Name of arrangement: Summer Hive Name of song arranged: Hornet Man Stage

I can feel the intense power of your bass and how you chose to make it the most prominent instrument. The automation gave it just enough wobbles to freely move while not breaking the mood, and the amount of detail on the sub-frequencies justifies its power in the mix. However, the mixing here not only placed other necessary instruments like your percussion and legato synth too far back - but also lacks punch and sharpness as a whole. For your bass kick, consider somewhere in your bass to make EQ cuts and let it push through, or even applying a subtle side-chain. For the other instruments, see which, if any, would benefit more from a mid-high or high EQ tweak. As for the arrangement, I can hear the source well even through your clear modifications to better fit this genre of music. But both variations are identical, with no real change other than how the start of the loop shapes itself (0:00, 1:59). I understand why you did this - you wanted to match the client's specifications, and I can relate as someone who's done freelance work in the past. But the OCR standards have a higher bar for interpretation than just changing the genre of a piece of BGM. Here are some examples of change if you ever feel like going back to it. Consider altering the accompaniment textures completely, writing new original lines over the top, putting some of the melodic ideas on top of a different set of accompaniment, or even incorporating fragments of other Phantasy Star Online music cues - and these are just examples. Nevertheless, as a Sega nerd, I respect what you've done, and I hope your client was pleased with the result. For OCR, the lack of development on the arrangement and unbalanced mixing are the reasons why I can't see this getting posted in its current form. I hope you'll submit again in the future, whether you end up revising this or making new material from what you've learned. NO

Thanks again for reminding me of how godly the re-arrangements are on A Link Between Worlds. Why have I not even played it yet? Anyway, your performances are on point, and your drum writing remains as sharp as ever. The production is stylistically gritty, yet all the instruments are well balanced and have their place in the mix. While I would've preferred to hear more sharpness on your lead guitar and less reverb, the tone is still expressive and raw, and I appreciate what you've done here. However, the arrangement is lacking, unfortunately. The beginning and ending are simple and effective ways of using the theme respectively to build up and finish, but the meat is just two variations of the source, and that's it. The only difference between the two is a different choice of drum pattern when going through the first half of melody A (0:13, 1:11). There's plenty of things you can do to change things up - an original solo, changing the rhythms among the rest of your accompaniment, putting the melody on top of a completely different set of chords - and that's the tip of the iceberg. You've done that before with your previous Zelda submission, and I know that you can do that again. It's bizarre - I feel modestly frustrated just listening to this. In your previous submission, the arrangement was passable, but the production needed work - and here, it's the other way round. Nevertheless, you've demonstrated that you can make it onto the front page, so whether you decide to develop this track further or take what you've learned into a new arrangement is all up to you. Please, Aitor, keep going! NO

I think the sound design is neat - you've got a selection of rich, mellow sounds and textures, as well as a piano that isn't overly dark and compliments the synths around it. The EQ sweeps and gates in-between sections are a sweet touch as well, helping to break segments up out of monotony. The mixdown's also okay, but I also feel the bass and piano are way louder than they need to be, so consider bringing their volume down to the point that they sit with the other instruments, not stand on top. However, what lets this submission down the most is the arrangement. Despite all the attention in the sound design, the structure is just two variations of the theme, and that is it. The second variation does change things up at 4:33 with the harmonic fourths on the melody, but that's it. Rather than let the second variation get played straight, consider exploring it and finding ways to change it up so that it sounds both familiar and yet distinct from the first half. It's not a bad effort at all, Bobby. While I appreciate your ideas, the interpretation is way too minimal to consider for the OCR front page. It'll be nice to hear a version that adds more meat into the arrangement, but whatever you do, keep going with your craft. NO (resubmit)

I like the idea of a big brass Mute City arrangement. There's not too much playing around with the theme, but the framework does have a gallant feel to it - a great combination of theme use, development, and original builds on top. Your Captain Falcon vocals were cheesy as all hell - something I'd technically associate more with ska - but with the context of the arrangement, they're confident and not ashamed in filling their role. It's a fun ride, no doubt. However, the production values aren't as polished. As MindWanderer pointed out, this orchestration has uneven levels of balance and reverb, making some instruments sound like they're performing in a different-sized concert space. Consider synergizing the tracks' separate reverb settings, as well as another mixdown that has a touch less prominence on your brass. Talking of which, you demonstrated that you know your way around key switches, but have you thought about hitting them in the middle of an instrument's phase? For example, it feels awkward to hear your lead brass doing this constant staccato when a real-life brass player would struggle to get the air for that constant sharp push. With the number of orchestral instruments you have, consider going back through all of them and seeing how you can incorporate a healthier mixture of notation styles. Nevertheless, it's a fun ride based on its arrangement, but the production isn't quite there yet. I see promise, so I hope to hear a revised version in the future, with a more balanced mixdown and further attention to detail on your instruments' realism. Keep at it. NO (resubmit)

Unfortunately, I haven't played FF10 - so I can't comment on how the arrangement reflects the story like prophetik did. I can, however, mention how lovely the arrangement is. The restriction to a solo piano piece gave plenty of room for added harmonies and in a simple but effective structure too. The tail ends made great use of tremolos and harmonic thirds, riding on top of a restricted root chord sequence on the left hand - something that adds both a calming and intentionally uneasy feeling at the same time. The development of the theme between all this sounds great too: * Both hands are well synergized throughout, which is critical to a piano solo. * The scaling flourishes in-between sections feel gorgeous and have that gliding feel to it. * The second variation at 1:54 had been tastefully transformed while still keeping the similarity to the core melody. * And above all, the dynamics had been well-shaped, allowing emphasis at just the right places to frame the pacing. The piano tone is also lovely and warm, too, and combined with the dynamics mentioned above, the quality managed to shine through. I, too, noticed the pumping, being even more prevalent at 1:29. Typically you're not supposed to apply tight compression onto a solo part. Yet, I'm also the type who prefers to bring out the delicacy of the instrument at the cost of a more minimal master setup. It's not a dealbreaker in this case, but a word of caution to slacken the compressor/limiter settings should you decide to do another piano solo in the future. Otherwise, I like this a lot. It's a flowing solo piano arrangement that demonstrates two things for you here. Firstly, your love for classical music shows no bounds as always, resulting in a thoughtful composition with sweet attention to detail. Secondly, it's shown your improvement as a solo piano interpreter and demonstrated much of what you had learned from your previous submissions in that style. I'm excited to see what you send over in the decade ahead for sure, Guillaume. C'est parti! YES

The source is present in spades. I can respect the idea to fragment it down into the bare bones to the point that the first repetition didn't even have the A section's melody, then building the blocks back in for a much more fleshed out 2nd variation with new countermelody writing. I'm in favor of keeping the Tyson voice clip, too - its inclusion broke up the C section in anticipation of its melody line not long after. Even then, there could've been an excellent opportunity to transform the bass or melody lines during said second repetition. Removal or addition of notes, changing the timings, or even some playful incorporation of other Mega Man tunes are instant ideas that popped up in my head. Consider experimenting with either these or any other theory-based ideas you can think of, and see what comes out of it. Relating to Sir Nuts's concern about dissonance - technically that last countermelody is in key. Still, the arpeggio at 5:14 can do with a complete chord change to match that of the track at the time (track's G# major to arpeggio's C# major) and make it sound less like a note salad. Now, production. A lot of the mellower synths and pads showed signs of brilliance among the sound design, but other than that, it's not a very clear mix. The balance is low-to-low-mid heavy, with too many lower frequencies across your instrumentation overlapping each other. Consider adding more prominence to the higher parts of the EQ spectrum for your leads, while making a low EQ cut to save redundancy and add clarity to your bass and rhythm parts. In addition, the percussion can not only benefit with EQ tweaks across the different parts of the kit, but also can get layered with different textures to add more of a defining sound. Sir Nuts brought up this beat lacking punch, so one such example to improve on it is to overlay your snare with one that has more snap to it, complimenting your choice of a long clap. To summarize, while I did offer a fair chunk of critique, I still appreciate your idea in a vacuum. But if this is to get posted on OCR, I hope it'll be another version that further explores the source material and has a much cleaner production. Keep at it, Kevin. NO (resubmit)

Did you seriously create this track in less than a week? And considering it was was a last-minute replacement, that is a strong bullet point among your contributions to Arcadia Legends. Nicely done! For me, the source quickly checks out - you've got the melody riding along this changed up jazzy accompaniment, and even went as far as breaking fragments of it into licks for the quieter sections. The articulations are also beautiful - even though it's just you and a bunch of VSTs, every instrument has a live performance feel to it. Add to the attention to detail on the production, making sure every part gets its breathing space in the mix, and it's all together as one lively and miraculous package. The only nitpick I have about this is in regards to the synergy. I'm not sure if the limited timeframe contributed to this, but there had been minor moments in the first half where your pitched percussion (piano and bells) were mere fractions ahead of and behind time, respectively. A slight amount more TLC would've been good to home in and seam them closer together, but it's too much of a nitpick when everything else is way above the bar. Nevertheless, I found it an enjoyable romp on Arcadia Legends, and I'll continue to see it that way on the front page. Great stuff, Mike, and I hope this new decade gives you more ways to experiment with new ideas! YES

Hi! You might remember me, a fella named Quinn Fox. In fact, I’m sure you do! So I’ll keep it short. A recent release for the Genesis arrived in my hands, and I couldn’t resist; I’ve been wanting to do another remix for a long time, but I always kept what I 'had going' as an original. See, a great majority of my submissions have been original pieces of music from the start, and then as I look to my left at my game collection, I often search for a place to sneak in a melody, chord, or what have you, to honor the game music which I obviously love. Not always, but often. So Tanglewood, a game I initially thought would have a running soundtrack throughout, turned out to be more of a ‘Limbo’ meets ‘Disney,’ and there wasn’t a lot of music to choose from, at least not in length to provide remix material. What began in my imagination as a fox running through the forest and bouncing off of baddies (which is how this began) turned around completely once it was plugged in and played. So I toned it down a bit, changed directions, and incorporated the title music to my whims and potential benefits. It’s been a LONG time since I’ve submitted anything here, but I have nothing but fond memories of this place; I still lurk. So in essence, here is some pertinent information. Game: Tanglewood Title : Hue Stripes Music : Title Screen (Track 00) ?? Original Composer : Nathan Stanley Remixed By : Quinn Fox Also a link to the music in question. Also, it’s a very lovely, charming game. Check it out.

When I listened to the "Pokémon source" that timaeus attached to the sub, I realized very quickly that it's one of SiIvagunner's high quality rips - remaking the theme to Chrono Trigger with the soundbank for Explorers of Time / Darkness / Sky. I don't know how it happened as the CT theme is a popular source, but there you go. The submission text is completely unedited, though - and I'll attach the meme to the end of the post. -Rexy- Contact Information Username: timaeus222 Name: Truong-Son Nguyen http://soundcloud.com/timaeus222 http://tproductions.comeze.com/ ID: 24526 Submission Information Games: Chrono Cross, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon 2 ReMix Title: Serenity & Grace Consoles/Platforms: PlayStation (CC) / Nintendo DS (PMD2) OST Composers: Yasunori Mitsuda (CC), [Arata Iiyoshi, Hideki Sakamoto, Keisuke Ito, Ryoma Nakamura, Kenichi Saito] (PMD2) Sources: Pokemon Exploration Team Theme (PMD2), Radical Dreamers (CC), Scars of Time (CC) Comments: "Right around the time I was asked to evaluate the Chrono Cross album that was in the works (around March 2018 or so), I heard the title track of the album and felt inspired to write this ReMix here over the summer. This combines 'Radical Dreamers' (CC) with a bit of 'Scars of Time' (CC) and the 'Pokemon Exploration Team Theme' (PMD2). The latter two shared surprisingly similar melodies. Also, some zircon/Jillian Aversa fans might notice a little easter egg I threw in that references a certain song from 'Unearthed' that sounds very similar to a 'Radical Dreamers' motif. Lastly, this is something that I wrote entirely with what I'd call 'budget' sounds (no sample libraries, nothing pulling from massive external storage). The bulk of the instruments used are just drum samples, u-he Zebra2 patches (plus some Xfer Records Serum), and 4Front TruePianos. This encouraged me to focus on cooperation between harmony and melody, and just trying to make the melodic phrasing and chord choices completely intentional. Yup, for me this time, production was secondary to arrangement! - Truong-Son" Extra Info: Source Breakdown: 0:00.0 - 0:05.3, 0:07.0 - 0:12.2 = Radical Dreamers (0:00.0 - 0:26.4) 0:13.9 - 0:19.2, 0:20.9 - 0:27.9 = Radical Dreamers (0:00.0 - 0:26.4) 0:27.9 - 0:52.9 = Radical Dreamers (0:26.4 - 1:19.1) 1:09.6 - 1:17.4 = Radical Dreamers (1:19.1 - 1:44.5) 1:23.5 - 1:37.4 = Radical Dreamers (1:19.1 - 1:44.5) layered on (0:00.0 - 0:26.4) 1:37.4 - 1:42.7, 1:44.4 - 1:50.5 = Original Melody + Radical Dreamers (0:00.0 - 0:26.4) 1:51.4 - 2:04.8 = Scars of Time (1:32.6 - 2:07.2) layered on Radical Dreamers (0:00.0 - 0:26.4) 2:05.3 - 2:15.7 = Pokemon Exploration Team Theme (1:13.6 - 1:40.4) 2:19.2 - 2:32.0, 2:33.1 - 2:40.0 = Pokemon Exploration Team Theme (1:40.4 - 1:54.2) 2:47.0 - 3:12.6 = Radical Dreamers (0:26.4 - 1:19.1) [new key?! Psych!] 3:28.7 - 3:36.6 = Radical Dreamers (1:19.1 - 1:44.5) 3:42.7 - 3:56.6 = Radical Dreamers (1:19.1 - 1:44.5) layered on (0:00.0 - 0:26.4) 3:56.6 - 4:01.8, 4:03.6 - 4:15.4 = Radical Dreamers (0:00.0 - 0:26.4) 5.3 + 5.2 + 5.3 + 7.0 + 25.0 + 7.8 + 13.9 + 5.3 + 6.1 + 13.4 + 10.4 + 12.8 + 6.9 + 25.6 + 7.9 + 13.9 + 5.2 + 11.8 = 188.8 secs 188.8/256.6 = 73.6% source overall Scars of Time (SoT): 13.4/256.6 = 5.22% SoT Pokemon Exploration Team Theme (PETT): 30.1/256.6 = 11.7% PETT Radical Dreamers (RD): 73.6% - 5.22% - 11.7% = 56.7% RD The meme:

Contact Information: ReMixer Name: Dave Clumsy Real Name: David Klumbies Email Address: UserID: 35960 Submission Information: Name of Game: Phantasy Star Online Name of Arrangement: Back Home Name of Song: Jungle - A Lush Load Comment: I produced this remake on commission, with mind to attempt submission to ocremix.org. It was requested to be produce in the genre of Chillstep, but beyond that I was given free reign. I chose to keep the arrangement close to the original, while renewing the instruments, refining the harmony and increasing the tempo to fit the genre norm. What I changed about the original was either for those purposes, or to add depth to the track's progression. The main point of focus was the bass, for which I used a number of production techniques and in total 9 layers of automation to give it variation, but still soft enough so as to not overshadow the rest of the instruments.

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Twilight Princess Song Title: Proxy Challenge Songs Remixed: Temple of Time (the dungeon one) This one was actually co-composed between myself and “Nirias”. He doesn’t have youtube or anything, but he does have a bandcamp here: https://nirias.bandcamp.com/

ReMixer name: Michael Hudak Real name: Michael Hudak Website: My SoundCloud Game arranged: Persona 3 Name of arrangement: Bright Moon Name of songs arranged: Tartarus LINK TO ORIGINAL: Persona 3 is one of those games that, upon release in the mid-aughts, had several soundtrack choices (made by composer Shoji Meguro) that were seen as quite unorthodox for a big-budget game. Here we are well over a decade later, and the music of the Persona series (everyone's got a favorite game out of 3, 4 and 5! What's yours?) has become some of the most beloved stuff ever. Go figure. The music from Persona 3's main dungeon, Tartarus, has 6 different versions (or "blocks" in the video sample) that build on one another as the game progresses. The one I prefer is the 4th version, coming in at 2:40. The first section of my ReMix is the closest to it. I attempted this ReMix in the style of Ryuichi Sakamoto's collaborations with Alva Noto (real name Carsten Nicolai), in which Sakamoto would record a piano track for Nicolai to then chop to pieces and add “raw material” sounds to – sine waves, shaped white noise, tiny clips of 808 kicks, etc. - to varying degrees of listener accessibility. A lot of time in their collaborations, only the very tail ends of sustained piano notes/chords would be used, with the gain cranked up of course, so the hiss of the mic used to record the piano came through clearly and added an extra element to the sounds. Since I only used sampled piano sounds that I assume were de-noised by the companies that released them, I mostly didn't have that natural mic hiss that I needed, so I had to layer much of my chopped up sampled piano on top of various layers of white/pink noise of the same length to create that effect artificially. So, all hisses you hear in this ReMix are deliberate - even the subtle and/or oddly-panned sounds - and not unwanted artifacts. Thanks for considering such a weird piece. Unfortunately, this is the kind of artsy, sound-design-y music that simply doesn't sound good on laptop speakers (nor is it supposed to), but hopefully, not too many listeners will be put off by that.

After talking with Minnie, and after she decided to talk with others, we can go ahead with the mixpost. Let's do this!

When I aired this on SEGA Mixer Drive during the Season 7 premiere last year, I was once again blown away with your production prowess. The guitar tones are meaty, the balance is clean, the performances are tight, and the energy is on point. If Sir Nuts needs a new face, then I need a new full set of teeth! Alas, the main reason why I decided to panel this one is because of its nature as a medley. There's no interplay between each of the themes, the sources come and go, and aside from the genre adaptation, there's nothing new and refreshing done to the sources themselves. Should you ever get the chance to either revise this track or do another medley, consider the idea of including parts of other sources in each section, or even the idea of interpreting one or two sources with an extra variation drastically different from the first. It's a fun listen, absolutely, and if anyone requests it for SMD I will gladly take the chance to air it. But medleys are a no-go for OCR unless there's more considerable unification between themes and interpretation of the sources in their own right. Whatever you do, Daniel, don't stop sending tracks our way - we want more visits to the hospital! NO

Remixer name: Kamex Real name: Erick Nunez Email address: Website: https://www.youtube.com/user/GreatGabite Userid: 32509 Name of game: Deltarune Name of arrangement: Funk Buster Name of songs Arranged: Rude Buster (Deltarune) [Main Source] With a couple of references: Gaster's Theme (Undertale) [Specifically at 1:29 - 1:59] Asgore [Specifically at 2:45 - 3:00]

From the eyes of a casual listener, I can understand how difficult it would be to listen and identify the source right away. But for me and in this kind of framework, I heard variations aplenty. It goes from one transformation to another, all while keeping to the brisk 3/4 nature of the genre adaptation - a great way to play around with the source while still keeping it dominant at the same time. It's a fantastic approach and a textbook demonstration on how Jeff tackles more challenging ideas head-on. I did, however, feel mixed with the production values. The instruments are all mixed in well with no glaring overlaps, but the Kontakt Factory library samples are difficult to push for realism, as Jeff pointed out. The strings are the most significant example of this - even without the subtle envelope movements and velocity shaping, they have a sound expected to grace a fifth-generation videogame sound chip, sixth if we're lucky. One way I can think of to remedy this is to layer different string textures at once, giving more of a thicker feel and multiple characteristics getting blended into one. A similar thing can be done for other instrumentation like the brass as well. While I did end up blowing open a hole into realism faults, the fact remains that it's still a balanced track with an equally creative arrangement. I honestly would like to hear it on the site as it is due to the strength of Jeff's ideas and its placement over the bar elsewhere. Good luck with the rest of the vote! YES (borderline)

Contact Information Juke Luke Williams https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCykxIXZVlPjV_dR4dhvpN3g -or- https://soundcloud.com/jukeremix User ID - 35090 -or- http://ocremix.org/community/profile/35090-juke/ Submission Information Game: Mario Kart: Double Dash Arrangement Name: Vacation in the Mushroom Kingdom SoundCloud Link: Song arranged: Peach Beach / Daisy Cruiser Themes Also Used From - Sherbet Land Double Dash Title Theme Rainbow Road Yoshi's Island Original: Comments: Mario Kart: Double Dash is the best Mario Kart game. This song has been posted on the vg thread and recommended for submission: https://ocremix.org/community/topic/47146-mario-kart-double-dash-beach-remix/ Please let me know if you need anything else, and thank you for your time and consideration!

Meteo Xavier Jeff Lawhead www.meteoxavier.com Notes: This is my collaboration with Jeremy Robson on the Seiken Densetsu 3 remix album which I think you are already familiar with, I wanted to submit it on its own for my personal vanity of having a spotlight on it and get my remixer count to go up. Funny story on this track. Rozovian liked the idea of having even some of the short cues have remixes on their own and I was talking to him about the source track on this one on night 10 years ago (I think, ***damn how much of my life has been tied to this project???) and he told me he'd like to have it as a waltz. I later learned he was joking, but for some reason I actually went to go do it. For 5 days in my later-to-be-haunted-apartment-after-I-married-a-Japanese-Hawaiian-Exorcist inbetween work, I labored over trying to make an orchestral waltz with a .mid file in the hopes I'd get someone to help me do the proper orchestral production with the notes I did. I'd never done a waltz before, and I hadn't really done one since, but generating one I really liked in .mid remains one of my proudest moments in music. Primarily to study how I wanted to do this, my models were the waltz scene from the 1991 Addams Family Movie and the waltz scene before the Chardash in Mel Brooks' Dracula: Dead and Loving It (that movie is seriously underrated). In 5 days, I had my MIDI. Next step was to find a collaborator and that man was Valse Aeris hero Jeremy Robson. I was pretty surprised a no-name lunatic troublemaker like me was able to work with someone of his arrangement pedigree and the collaboration went quite smoothly. I'm told he used Kontakt 4 Factory samples here, which while it loses a couple degrees in realism makes up for it by having a couple more degrees in "fun" and energy that you don't get in every library. About 80% of the track is my MIDI arrangement and 20% is Jeremy re-arranging that for the final quality, with more of his work towards the end as opposed to the beginning. Thank you.

RebeccaETripp Rebecca Tripp http://www.crystalechosound.com/ ID: 48262 Game(s): Hollow Knight Song Title: Blue City Songs Remixed: City of Tears

Let me say first of all that you have guts to arrange this source! With no definite backbeat and muddy melodies, figuring out a direction at all is easily no small feat. The boys above me got the production nail on the head. You have all these lead melodies pushing other instruments into the background, only letting them appear into prominence when they decide to take a breather. The sound design also feels mixed - you have an intriguing combination of meaty synths and percussion, and yet you have thinner sounding leads like the one going through Melody B at 2:42. That, to me, is also a shame because there are some fun envelopes behind it otherwise. If you ever get a chance to re-master it again, consider making some minor frequency cuts on the leads while making room on the other instruments to step through, as well as adding a quiet and warmer under-layer for said leads. The arrangement, while fun, is also flawed. Just like in the source, the Melody A section still felt tough to follow without knowing where all the note rests were. I can't fault you on that, as it's more of the BGM's charm. The Melody B section's writing, despite the thin lead, had a solid direction with several variations. But the main problem I have with the arrangement, however, is source content and a slight lack thereof. Here's what I figured out: 0:06-0:12 - Rising string stab from source intro. 0:17-0:21 - Swept in descending string parts from the track intro. 0:22-0:59 - Melody A. Deduct 3 seconds for source break at 0:46. 1:20-1:23 - Return of the sweeping strings from the intro. 2:37-3:36 - Sweeping string return, before going straight into Melody B. 3:39-4:57 - Melody B, switching back to Melody A at 4:33. That barely makes 45% source content, which offers a good enough reason to cut the last quarter short. As MindWanderer stated, it didn't introduce anything new that wasn't already between 0:59-2:37, so consider figuring out how to close the track quicker. If you insist on keeping it, you can try to find more ways to include the source or other Skies BGM, though this would be a much trickier direction. Honestly, I enjoy this in a vacuum. This remix is the kind of track I'd love to include in a future set on Last Call. For OCR, it's unfortunately not there yet. It'll be nice to hear another version with a much cleaner production, improved synth timbres, and thicker source dominance. You're pushing hard, Glenn - I know you can make it back on the front page again soon. NO (resubmit)

Now, this is a great adaptation! You took a 6/8 acoustic BGM and transformed it into a synth-driven 4/4 arrangement. Aside from the minute-long intro, the source material is readily identifiable - either with the melody proper or with the transformation of the original's acoustic guitar loop. It's a solid structure too - intro aside, it's ABA with no drums in the second A variant and some careful extra segueing between them. I also feel like I'm the only one who can appreciate the ending as well - ending on a chord that isn't the root is always going to feel unconventional, but that's what makes the explorative nature of electronic chillout what it is. I can also live with the "premature" fully established instrumentation at 1:46 - it aimed for a chill vibe with both the sound palette and the initial groove, and any jarring jumps in the momentum would break that immersion. All that is despite the double-time section at 2:24 - it refreshed the drum writing, while at the same time, the sound palette remained focused on keeping that momentum stable. And then, there's the production. The synths indeed feel very rich, with great attention to filters and layers - and I also can't ignore that initial drum bit crunch either. Yes, there is 2dB of headroom, but you mixed your instruments tightly, ensuring the track doesn't feel on the quiet side. Synth layers also meant there's no real overlap, and you can feel what each one is doing. The only exception I noticed was when the source arpeggio got introduced at 1:02. You started with a low-mid range of pitches that hid too far into the droning pad that it was difficult to make out. But four bars in, you overlaid it with a higher-pitched echoed arpeggio, doing the same thing but two octaves higher, and that added layer gave it some much-needed presence. Weighing up everything, I sensed a sweet arrangement direction and some solid production work, yet I developed conflicting thoughts regarding critique already mentioned so far. To me, this track feels like a complete package, and I'm more than happy to see it get posted. Waiting 17 years between first submission and first mixpost sounds daunting, but I'll be pleased to see this as the track that made it. YES

Arrangement wise, it does play safe and maintain the source's elements verbatim. But the accompaniment has some excellent additions like synth guitars and brass, sweeps when appropriate, harmonies in 5ths at 0:48 and 2:45, and even referencing both Deltarune sources during that 1:20 solo. I also really enjoy that 7/8 breakdown at 0:55 from a technical standpoint, too - it pushed itself out of nowhere and added a refreshing break in the run-up to the improvisational section. Including "Fields of Hopes and Dreams" also helped to break the momentum and build things up for the final part. And yes, just like MindWanderer, I also feel that fade-out ending fell flat. It's not a dealbreaker regarding site standards, but I'm just not a fan of ending tracks this way. The production's also okay - the instruments are clean, I can identify them all in the mix, and I too can understand the desire to emphasize the funk bass over the piano based on the rest of the instrument palette. It doesn't necessarily pump the adrenaline like you think it did, but the soundscape does have a meaty undertone in comparison to the original's aired nature. You used volume envelopes well to express your synths, though I'm also with prophetik in regards to the potential of looking at further articulation for next time. Additionally, I would've preferred a hint of reverb on your snare, so it's not too dry in comparison to everything else. It's just a small subjective observation, so it's nothing too serious. With all parts weighed up, I consider it good to go for the front page. It's a fun take on an equally fun source, and I'm crossing my fingers to see how you can top this in the future. YES

If you want my take on the whole thing, it's the creation that matters so much more and not the person behind it. As a radio show curator, I've aired arrangements of music originally done by some known jackasses - and I air them because the arranger saw something in the soundtrack, and not the person. It has been some time since the whole debacle, and I too hope that you haven't changed your mind regarding this track because let's be serious - the arrangement and ideas are brilliant. Yes, you presented this track like a medley. But each source ties into a larger picture and have also been substantially interpreted individually. The backing consistently evolves throughout with its consistent accompaniment switch-ups. I like the pacing changes for the melodies too - like at 1:31, where the second half of Home Again had breathing space to draw anticipation for the next movement. Most importantly, you gave enough care to link all segments together seamlessly, so it feels more like a rhapsody rather than a medley. It flows, it draws upon the recognizable parts of the sources, and the message got carried well. Granted, I do agree with both MindWanderer and prophetik, regarding the orchestrated parts not sounding all that realistic. But with the electronic side of the palette feeling lush and sophisticated, the orchestration doesn't need to be realistic - instead, it needed to compliment the synth palette and not de-emphasize either side of the setup. As a collective whole, they sound clean, they're mixed in well and remains tight for its 8-minute duration — definitely no small feat. If I didn't spell it out by now, I'd accept this, provided that you'd still go through with the mixpost. But regardless of what happens, this track has signs that you got what it takes to make it onto the OCR front page. Some of us judges, past and present, had also been scared of sending music to the panel at one point or another, but there's absolutely nothing to fear - we post it if it gets accepted, or there'll be useful critique if it doesn't. So I commend you for plucking up the courage to submit. It was an extraordinary experience, and I hope it gives you the motivation to keep contributing! YES

Contact Information ReMixer name: Reuben Spiers Real Name: Reuben Spiers E-Mail: Submission Information Game: Super Mario 64 Name of Arrangement: Sleepy Snore Spores Name of Original Song: Piranha Plant Lullaby Also featuring GameroftheWinds